The Jefferson Forest Cavaliers will take on the Blacksburg Bruins at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Jefferson Forest is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 victory over Halifax County. Winning may never get old, but Jefferson Forest sure is getting used to it with their third in a row.
Amelia Long spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on five hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Mati Gouldthorpe was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3. Another player making a difference was Taya Hall, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Blacksburg, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Mecklenburg County on Wednesday and snuck past 4-3.
Evelyn Rhoads was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Rhoads was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lindsey Polan, who went 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI. Katey Mathena was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Jefferson Forest has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 16-5 record this season. As for Blacksburg, their win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-4.
Friday's contest will be a test for both team's pitchers. Jefferson Forest hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .323. However, it's not like Blacksburg struggles in that department as they've averaged .366. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
